China is set to eliminate import tariffs on goods from 53 African nations from 1 May 2026, a sweeping policy shift that extends duty-free access to almost the entire continent and aims to deepen trade ties and economic cooperation between Beijing and Africa. The government announcement confirms that the move will apply to all tariff lines for countries with which China has formal diplomatic relations, excluding only […]
Nigeria has launched a sweeping industrial policy aimed at restarting idle factories, boosting domestic manufacturing and positioning Africa’s largest economy as a competitive production hub in global supply chains. Federal authorities say the framework is designed to tackle long-standing structural weaknesses that have undermined output, including erratic power supply, limited access to long-term finance, foreign exchange volatility and infrastructure gaps. Manufacturing accounts for less than 10 per […]
Metaplanet has reported a dramatic acceleration in earnings, posting a 738 per cent year-on-year rise in revenue and a 1,700 per cent jump in operating profit, underscoring the impact of its aggressive digital asset strategy and restructuring drive. The Tokyo-listed company, which has repositioned itself as a corporate holder of bitcoin, disclosed the figures in its latest financial update, signalling a sharp turnaround from its earlier years […]
Harvard Management Company has reduced its exposure to bitcoin-linked holdings by about 20 per cent while initiating a new position tied to ether, signalling a recalibration of its digital asset strategy amid shifting market dynamics and valuation pressures. Regulatory filings show that the endowment’s investment arm pared back its stake in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust during the latest reporting period, cutting the value of its holding from […]
Three decades after its modest debut on a handheld console, Pokémon has evolved into one of the most lucrative entertainment properties in history, generating tens of billions of dollars in revenue and emerging as a potent instrument of Japan’s cultural influence abroad. Created by Satoshi Tajiri and launched in 1996 by Nintendo, Game Freak and Creatures, the franchise began with Pokémon Red and Green for the Game […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai flydubai will operate double-daily services between Dubai and Bangkok from 15 September 2026, raising its total weekly flights on the route to 28 and strengthening Thailand’s position within the carrier’s expanding Asian network. The Dubai-based airline said the additional frequency will link Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport with Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, enhancing connectivity for leisure and business travellers. The […]
Strategy has said it could withstand a collapse in bitcoin’s price to $8,000 and still service its roughly $6 billion in net debt, outlining contingency plans that include converting portions of its borrowings into equity if market conditions deteriorate sharply. The Virginia-based software company, formerly known as MicroStrategy, has become one of the largest corporate holders of bitcoin under executive chairman Michael Saylor. Its balance sheet is […]
Concerns over inadequate privacy safeguards are holding back broader adoption of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology, according to Binance founder Changpeng Zhao and several industry executives speaking at a major digital assets forum. Their remarks underline a growing consensus that transparency, long touted as blockchain’s defining strength, may also be constraining its appeal among retail users and large institutions. Zhao, widely known as CZ, told a panel at […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Red Sea Museum will open a major exhibition titled Sunken Treasures: The Maritime Heritage of the Red Sea on February 25, running until May 29, 2026, placing centuries of seafaring history at the centre of Saudi Arabia’s expanding cultural agenda. Organised by the Museums Commission under the Ministry of Culture, the showcase is set to feature artefacts recovered from shipwrecks, navigational tools, archival […]
International Holding Company, the Abu Dhabi-based investment conglomerate known as IHC, has posted full-year 2025 revenue of AED111.4 billion, a rise of 29.1 per cent from a year earlier, while profit after tax climbed 35.1 per cent to AED34.7 billion, reflecting what the group described as disciplined execution and tighter cost management across its expanding portfolio. The audited results mark another year of strong expansion for […]
Emirates has signed an interline agreement with China’s Loong Air, widening its access to 22 additional destinations across the mainland and strengthening its competitive position in one of the world’s most strategically important aviation markets. The arrangement, effective immediately, enables Emirates passengers to connect beyond its existing gateways in Hangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong onto Loong Air-operated domestic services. The added cities span eastern, northeastern, southern, central […]
JSW MG Motor, the automotive joint venture backed by China’s SAIC Motor and the Mumbai-based JSW Group, has announced plans to invest up to $440 million to scale up manufacturing capacity in India and accelerate its product lineup towards hybrid and electric vehicles. The company aims to lift annual output to 300,000 units from about 120,000 at its Halol, Gujarat plant while rolling out three to four new […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai AD Ports Group has reported a sharp rise in revenue and profit for the year ended 31 December 2025, underlining the resilience of Abu Dhabi’s maritime and logistics sector amid shifting global trade patterns. Preliminary unaudited results released on Friday show revenue climbed 20 per cent year on year to AED20.8 billion, while net profit rose 17 per cent to AED2.1 billion. Earnings […]
XRP is back at the centre of market attention as Ripple’s chief executive takes on an advisory role in Washington, fuelling speculation that a clearer regulatory path for digital assets could reshape the token’s prospects even as exchange-traded products tracking it post their first net outflows in weeks. The digital token, closely associated with Ripple Labs, has seen volatile trading through February, hovering below its late-2024 highs […]
By K Raveendran The unfolding political narrative around the Indo-US trade treaty has done more than spark debate on tariffs, market access and diplomatic alignment: it has reshaped the contours of India’s domestic political landscape, particularly by elevating Rahul Gandhi’s stature as the principal opposition leader. The Modi government has positioned the trade agreement as […]
The article Indo-US Trade Deal Has A Most Unlikely Winner: Rahul Gandhi appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).
OPEC+ is signalling a shift back to increasing oil output from April as producers prepare for stronger demand through the summer months, according to multiple officials and industry delegates ahead of a key March meeting. The coalition, led by core producers such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, paused monthly output rises for the first quarter amid concerns over supply gluts, but growing market confidence […]
HANOI, VIETNAM – Media OutReach Newswire – 14 February 2026 – For nearly two weeks, the Spring Fair 2026 turned the Vietnam Exhibition Center into something few destinations manage to become: a condensed, high-definition portrait of an entire country.
As the fair drew to a close, what remains is not simply a tally of booths or sales figures, but the impression of a place that allowed visitors to move ‘through Vietnam’ at remarkable speed. Within a single afternoon, one could travel from the northern mountains to the Mekong Delta without leaving a 90-hectare venue on the outskirts of Hanoi.
Framed as “A Marketplace of 34 Provinces,” the event gathered regional economies, culinary traditions and cultural performances under one monumental roof. For many international visitors in Hanoi this spring, it became a defining stop on the city’s New Year cultural calendar.
A Country in One Afternoon
The scale was unapologetically large. More than 3,000 standard booths. Around 2,500 enterprises. Participation from 34 provinces and cities across Vietnam. Over 12 continuous days, the fair aimed for direct revenue of 1,000 billion VND and operated at a pace that rarely slowed.
Inside, the exhibition floor was organized into thematic zones such as “Vietnamese Cultural Essence” and “Vietnamese Agricultural Products – Connecting Spring”. The layout encouraged visitors to drift geographically. One moment, they stood in the northern region. Minutes later, they were tasting specialties from the south.
In the section representing Bắc Ninh, trays of bánh phu thê (sticky rice cake filled with mung bean paste, traditionally served at weddings) glowed under warm light. Nearby, vendors rolled out bánh cuốn Mao Điền (thin rice sheets wrapped around seasoned minced pork and wood ear mushrooms), the steam rising gently into the air. Nem chua (fermented pork sausage) was sliced into neat portions, while bundles of mì gạo chũ (sun-dried rice noodles from Bắc Giang) were arranged in pale, orderly stacks.
Further along, the scent shifted. At a booth from Sơn La, strips of thịt trâu gác bếp (smoked buffalo meat) were cut from darkened slabs and dipped into a dense sauce flecked with mắc khén (wild mountain pepper with a citrusy heat). The taste was smoky, slightly sweet and sharply spiced. At another stand, mắm tôm chua (fermented shrimp paste with chili and garlic) from Huế was wrapped with boiled pork belly and green banana slices, layered with fresh herbs to soften its tang.
In the southern cluster, bánh pía (flaky pastry filled with mung bean, salted egg yolk and durian) from Sóc Trăng were sliced while still warm, their layered crust collapsing delicately to reveal a rich interior. The aroma of durian lingered in the air, unmistakable and confident.
“I really liked how the space was designed according to each province’s characteristic… not only products, but also culture – music, people, traditional dress. It clearly shows very thoughtful experiential design,” said an American visitor during the event.
For business delegations, the appeal went beyond atmosphere.
“We came here to find Vietnamese partners for cashew nuts, cacao and coffee,” said Mandel V. Panizares, representative of Green Agricultural Products Trading in the Philippines. “Seeing the products directly and discussing at the booth; this ‘see and touch’ approach helps us evaluate quality and production capacity more clearly than just looking at profiles or images.”
Cultural performance threaded through the marketplace. Visitors found themselves mesmerized watching more than 50 performers in restored Nguyễn-era garments entered the main corridor for the “Hundred Flower Parade”. Gold embroidered nhật bình (formal imperial robes) shimmered beneath the hall’s lights. Ceremonial horses stepped carefully across polished floors as shoppers paused mid-conversation to watch.
“The parade is not just a performance, but a living cultural experience, where traditional Vietnamese attire, rituals, aesthetics and people exist together within the flow of daily life and commerce,” said Nguyen Thanh Nam, a member of the project team.
Across the 12 days, more than 40 cultural programs and hundreds of performances unfolded, including shows by the Vietnam Circus Federation and the Vietnam Puppet Theatre. Music, acrobatics and folk art existed in easy proximity to contract discussions and product demonstrations.
By the final weekend, it was clear that the Spring Fair had evolved into something more than an exhibition. It functioned as a temporary indoor festival city, layered with sound, flavor and movement.
The Platform Powering the Experience
The intensity of the experience was made possible by the Vietnam Exhibition Center itself.
Spanning 90 hectares, VEC is the largest exhibition complex in Southeast Asia and ranks among the top ten globally. At its core stands the Kim Quy Exhibition Hall, a 130,000 square meter column-free structure that provides uninterrupted interior space on a scale rarely seen in the region.
Built in just 10 months by Vingroup, Vietnam’s largest private conglomerate, and officially opened on August 19, 2025, the center welcomed 1.2 million visitors within its first three days of operation. Managing that volume required advanced crowd coordination, robust security systems and integrated logistics capable of operating at metropolitan scale.
The infrastructure extends well beyond the main hall. An 18-hectare parking area accommodates more than 10,000 vehicles. Nearly 1,200 electric vehicle charging ports form the largest EV charging station in Vietnam. Integrated storage zones, transport logistics and modern electronic payment systems allowed thousands of booths to operate simultaneously without visible strain.
VEC is also a member of the Bureau International des Expositions and serves as Vietnam’s official representative at global exhibition events, positioning it within the international exhibition circuit.
“We believe that, building upon this foundation, VEC will continue to thrive and evolve into a premier hub for major regional and international events. When operated at its full potential, VEC will emerge as a new symbol of a connected, prosperous, integrated, innovative, and sustainable Vietnam, thereby elevating our national standing in the country’s new era of ascent.”, said Mr. Tran Le Phuong, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Vietnam Exhibition Fair Center Joint Stock Company (VEFAC JSC).
During the Spring Fair, that capacity was visible in every operational detail. Corridors remained fluid at peak hours. Multiple stages operated without acoustic conflict. International delegations moved seamlessly between provincial booths.
“I highly appreciate the handicraft products of Hue and high-tech agricultural products of Thanh Hoa and Dong Thap,” said Ozasa Haruhiko, Chief Representative of JETRO Hanoi. “The diversity and quality here strengthen my confidence in Japan-Vietnam trade potential.”
As the 2026 edition concludes, the Spring Fair leaves behind more than transactions and photographs. It has demonstrated that Vietnam can stage large-scale exhibitions with cultural depth and operational precision inside world-class infrastructure.
Hashtag: #VEC #Vingroup
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai DP World has announced a sweeping leadership change at the helm of its global logistics empire, elevating His Excellency Essa Kazim to chairman of the board and naming Yuvraj Narayan as group chief executive officer, following the resignation of long-time executive Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem. The appointments signal a strategic reset for the Dubai-based operator amid heightened scrutiny over its governance and reputation […]
OpenAI has launched GPT-5.3-Codex-Spark, an ultra-fast version of its coding artificial intelligence that runs on specialised hardware from Cerebras Systems, marking its first major production deployment outside of the long-dominant Nvidia-based infrastructure. The Codex-Spark release delivers more than 1,000 tokens per second in interactive coding workflows, designed to give developers near-instant responsiveness for editing and iterative tasks while maintaining competitive capabilities for real-world software development. The debut […]
Truth Social Funds, the investment arm linked to Trump Media & Technology Group, has filed registration statements with the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission for two exchange-traded funds focused on major cryptocurrency assets. The proposed products, if approved, would give investors exposure to Bitcoin and Ether in one fund and to Cronos in a second fund that also seeks to generate yield through network staking rewards. […]
Bitcoin surged past 69,000 dollars on major exchanges on Tuesday, regaining a price level that has carried both symbolic and technical weight since the previous market cycle. The move marks a rebound from a bout of volatility that had pulled the world’s largest cryptocurrency below key support zones earlier this quarter, drawing renewed attention from institutional investors and retail traders alike. Data from leading trading platforms […]
A wave of stress signs emerging across the global private credit market is prompting closer scrutiny from investors and analysts, with covenant defaults climbing, leverage rising and slowing earnings growth among private companies shaping the outlook for direct lenders and credit managers. Recent proprietary data from valuation specialists and market trackers show covenant default rates creeping higher compared with historical averages, while a combination of weaker cash […]
China’s Z. ai has propelled its artificial intelligence ambitions into the global spotlight with the launch of GLM-5, a 744-billion-parameter open-source large language model that stands toe-to-toe with leading Western counterparts and underscores Beijing’s drive for technological self-sufficiency. Released on 11 February by the company formerly known as Zhipu AI, GLM-5 combines advanced architecture with broad hardware compatibility and permissive licensing, signalling a shift in the global AI landscape.
The GLM-5 model, built on a mixture-of-experts framework and trained on an expanded dataset of roughly 28.5 trillion tokens, is designed for multifaceted tasks including coding, reasoning and agentic operations. Z. ai reports that the model’s performance on internal benchmarks approaches that of leading proprietary systems such as Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4.5, and on certain tests it outperforms Google’s Gemini 3 Pro. Its permissive MIT licence allows unrestricted commercial use and adaptation, making GLM-5 one of the most accessible frontier AI models available to developers and enterprises worldwide.
A standout feature of GLM-5 is its independence from American semiconductor technology. Trained and deployable on domestic Chinese chips from manufacturers like Huawei Ascend, Moore Threads, Cambricon and Kunlunxin, the model sidesteps reliance on high-end Nvidia GPUs that are constrained under US export controls. Z. ai’s use of the MindSpore AI framework further embeds the model within a Chinese software ecosystem, emphasising self-reliant technological development. This strategy exemplifies a broader push within China’s AI sector to mitigate the impact of external trade restrictions and build robust, locally supported infrastructures.
Market reception underscored the impact of GLM-5’s launch: Z. ai’s shares surged nearly 29 per cent on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange following the announcement, reflecting investor optimism about the company’s competitiveness and growth prospects. Industry analysts note that GLM-5’s arrival comes amid an acceleration of model releases and chip optimisation efforts by several Chinese AI firms, signalling more intense competition on both domestic and international fronts.
Benchmarks published by Z. ai highlight GLM-5’s strengths and limitations. On software engineering evaluations, the model achieved a score of 77.8 per cent on the widely referenced SWE-bench Verified suite, trailing slightly behind Claude Opus 4.5’s 80.9 per cent but outperforming other notable systems in agentic and multitask contexts. The architecture’s efficient handling of long-context sequences—up to 200 000 tokens—positions GLM-5 for applications requiring extensive reasoning over lengthy inputs.
GLM-5’s low cost of deployment also enhances its appeal. Analyses of pricing data suggest inference can cost around US $1 per million tokens, a fraction of the fees charged by some proprietary APIs, potentially lowering barriers for startups and research teams seeking cutting-edge language modelling without prohibitive expenditure. The MIT licence further expands this accessibility by granting broad rights to adapt and deploy the underlying model weights in commercial and research settings.
Despite its technical achievements and open licensing, experts caution against over-interpretation of benchmark results as definitive proof of superiority. Performance under controlled test conditions does not always translate to uniformly strong real-world applications, particularly in generative and reasoning tasks where robustness and safety remain critical hurdles. Some observers also warn that differences between self-reported evaluations and independent assessments could emerge as the model is adopted more widely.
GLM-5’s emergence reflects broader trends within China’s AI ecosystem, where domestic firms and chipmakers are increasingly synchronised in advancing cutting-edge technologies. Industry developments suggest that model and hardware optimisation efforts are happening in near tandem, with architecture adaptations and inference support enabling faster incorporation of new Chinese semiconductor products. These developments sit against a backdrop of regulatory frameworks that increasingly emphasise the alignment of AI systems with government objectives, including content governance and cybersecurity considerations.
Russia has moved to block WhatsApp across its territory, citing alleged breaches of domestic legislation, in a decision that signals a sharper turn towards state-aligned digital platforms and tighter control over online communications. Telecoms watchdog Roskomnadzor said access to the Meta-owned messaging service had been restricted following what officials described as repeated failures to comply with data localisation and content moderation rules. The regulator argued that foreign […]
